Energy efficiency will be the principal strategy to achieve California’s goals of 50% reduction in oil use and 40% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. For vehicles, that means more efficient engines and transmissions and greater use of lightweight materials, including aluminum and carbon fiber. But what about electric vehicles? Technologically, they are already a […]
Posted inClimate Change
Opinion: Is the future of electricity generation really distributed?
Renewable energy technologies have made outstanding progress in the last decade. Solar panels and wind turbines have become massively more efficient. In many locations, some forms of renewable energy are cost competitive. And yet…just as these exciting changes are taking place, many advocates are shifting their focus to an issue disconnected from the fundamental environmental […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
Question: How hard will it be to meet 2030 and 2050 greenhouse-gas reduction goals?
California’s Emissions, Population and Economic Growth How will population and economic growth impact California’s greenhouse gas targets? View More SHARE Facebook Twitter Email In practice, however, the acceleration may not be quite so dramatic. That’s because most experts expect California to come in below its 2020 targets. If, for example, California’s emissions come in at […]
Posted inEnvironment
Question: Will California meet its 2020 greenhouse-gas reduction goal?
Answer: Political leaders, including Gov. Jerry Brown and Senate leader Kevin de León, as well as outside analysts, predict that California will meet its 2020 greenhouse gas goal. That goal, established by Assembly Bill 32, calls on California to shrink its greenhouse gas emissions to the amount emitted in 1990 — namely, 431 million metric […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
Opinion: Are we losing our top talents in Central California due to extreme weather?
Ever since I moved from Central Pennsylvania, where my car would be buried in the snow for the better part of the winter, to Central California with summer heat waves, the question I’ve been asked most often is “did the weather influence your decision to relocate to Fresno?” Having studied how climate change impacts residential […]
Posted inEnvironment
Steyer and de León: Climate soulmates
The friendship between two men from vastly different backgrounds may shape the future of California.
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
A controversial agency in the climate change battle
On the outskirts of Los Angeles, inside a nondescript laboratory building, a man in a yellow T-shirt and helmet sits on a stationary motorcycle, looking intently ahead. The bike’s back wheel is spinning, and a long orange tube connects to its exhaust pipe. A fan roars, mimicking wind. Nearby, on a computer screen, colorful lines […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
On climate, a rough road ahead for California
Nearly a decade ago, California policymakers, facing a frightening future of shriveling snow packs and rising seas, created the nation’s most aggressive program to combat global warming. The 2006 law mandated broad reductions of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Now, as the deadline approaches, Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers are intensifying their efforts. They […]
Posted inInside the Newsroom
CalMatters aims to make people interested in state government, fill a gap in California
The new nonprofit news site has raised almost $3 million for explanatory reporting on state government and lawmaking. They’ve also been gathering advice — and advisors — from places like ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.
Posted inInside the Newsroom
A new nonprofit hopes to fill a void in coverage of California
The Sacramento-based CALmatters will report exclusively on California state policy and politics and plans to both publish its stories on its own site and distribute them to other publications.